In the Great Library
by Rosebud5
Summary: Before the meeting with Dodo, Alice and Hatter take time to visit one of the youngest, sickest refugees in the Great Library; and Alice learns that everything is not what it seems with Hatter. Very sweet, gentle one-shot with slight AliceXHatter.


Hello, friends! So here's my second "Alice, 2009" fic...Hope you all enjoy it! This one's slightly HatterXAlice...This is supposed to take place in the Great Library after Hatter explains about the suffering Refugees from the Queen's take-over and before the meeting with Dodo. Hope you all enjoy! And please review on your way out! :)

~Rosebud5

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**In the Great Library**

"These are all refugees?" Alice asked sadly as Hatter lead her down a flight of steps to the bottom part of the Great Library, dodging another towering pile of books.

"Yeah," Hatter sighed, taking off his hat for the first time in front of her and running a hand through his wild brown hair. "Before we try and negotiate with ol' Dodo, I figured we could 'elp out a little bit, ya know."

Alice looked at him in suprise. This con-man...this smuggler...this man she would rather have never even met...he was taking time to help refugees? Highly stunned, Alice followed Hatter down another row of shelves stocked full with books until they stopped at the cot of a young girl, no more than eleven or twelve years old: pale, and obviously sick.

"'Ello, Judy," Hatter smiled to the youngster, kneeling down by her. Alice couldn't help but notice the adorable dimple in his cheek when he grinned, and she had to look away.

"Hello, Hatter," the cracked voice of the girl made Alice turn back. She found Hatter sitting by the cot, holding the little girl's hand in his and still smiling soothingly. "Who's that?" Judy asked, pointing weakly to Alice.

"This is Alice," Hatter replied, facing the older girl with a smirk. "My...acquaintance."

"The Alice?" the small child asked excitedly, raising herself up on her elbows. "Of legend?"

"No, sweetie," Alice whispered, taking the other side of the cot. "Just Alice."

"Oh," the girl visibly deflated, and sank back into her cot. "I see."

"Judy," Hatter interrupted playfully, obviously trying to lighten her darkened mood. "You 'ungry?" The child just nodded. "I can fix that." He got to his feet and went over to a near-by stove that had a pan of soup bubbling on it. He filled up a small tin bowl, grabbed a spoon, and returned to Judy and Alice, smiling still. "Dinner is served," he said with an overly dramatic posh accent.

Judy giggled, but cringed when he held a spoon to her lips. "I'm tired of soup," she sighed, gulping down the meal slowly.

"Then you best get well as fast as possible," Hatter cocked a playful eye-brow, spooning more soup into Judy's mouth. Alice bit her lip. He knew there was nothing more for the refugees to eat. He was getting this girl's hopes up. Or so she wanted to believe. But when she saw him spoon-feeding the sick, pale young Wonderlandian, those thoughts dissolved. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. But then she remembered their first meeting...his wise cracks and sarcasm...and she shook her head, focusing instead on the idea of her boyfriend. Jack Chase. Yes, that's why they were there in the first place. To find Jack.

"Alice?" Hatter's voice broke her from her thoughts and she looked over at him, blinking. "Would you mind very much goin' to find another blanket? Judy's freezin'," he cocked his head ever so slightly to the girl, who was trying unsuccessfully to hold back shivers of chill.

"Sure, sure," Alice nodded, getting up and scouring the huge room for a blanket. When she found one, she returned to the bed, only to find Judy curled up against Hatter's shoulder, who had gotten on the cot beside the young girl. The child was sleeping peacefully, Hatter's arm around her frail shoulders. He looked up when he saw Alice and smiled, gently laying Judy back into the bed and then covering her with the blanket.

"Thanks," he mumbled, making sure Judy was covered as well as she could be. He felt her forehead and bit his lip, a flash of worry showing on his face before he gently stroked Judy's hair off her face.

"Yeah," Alice nodded. "She's very adorable. I hope she gets well soon."

"She's been in 'ere for a bloody long time," he sighed, returning his hat to his head. "We kinda took to each other and I've become her only friend. She don't really talk to anyone else...she's a shy little kid. I'm just hopin' she's okay," he looked at Judy for a moment, before seeming to snap back into the real world. He faced Alice with a classic Hatter-smirk. "Ya know, if yer really the Alice of Legend and ya bring down the House of Cards, you'll save 'er life. No pressure."

Alice rolled her eyes, though she silently knew he was right. "I'm just Alice," she insisted. "Just Alice."

Suddenly, Owl's voice came from above on the balcony. "Hatter? Dodo will see you now."

_The End_

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Well? I liked this one more than my first "Alice" fic and seeing Hatter help a little kid is just so heart-melting I had to write this. Not to mention how sad it is, if you think about it, that Hatter's having some sweet moment with Judy and Alice and then he gets beat up by Dodo. *Universal AWWW for Hatter* Haha

Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed and now **REVIEW REVIEW REIVEW! **And you get a cookie. :)

~Rosebud5


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